Curses, Kisses, and Other Things the VKs Taught Me
by RaisingGinger1025
Summary: It's bad enough Fay's already ostracized due to her family history by the other Auradon kids, but now that the Villain Kids are there, all she can hear anymore is how she could have been one of them. Horrible on paper, sure, but Fay's starting to wonder if being a VK is really the worst thing someone could be...
1. Chapter 1

_Good God in heaven, I actually remembered the password to this site. You're all in for it now._

_I've also got a multitude of fandoms under my belt now, so have fun with that! And before anyone asks, I've only ever seen the movies. So any kids of characters that I didn't see in the movies, I'm making up names for. _

* * *

"I just don't _understand it." _Melody tsked, leaning against her locker in an attempt to seem cool. It would work if she didn't seem to struggle to stand in heels. Where she lacked the lush red hair from her mom, she must've gotten her sea legs from her. But she had a point: seeing four kids of notorious villains step foot in Auradon was a sight for sore eyes.

"Ben had some silly vision and is convinced these freaks need to be here," Audrey huffed, slamming her locker shut and sending the dirtiest of looks towards the villain kid with purple hair. To my surprise, the girl returned it with one of her own, eyes glowing a haunting green that reminded me of sick potions my mother used to make. Filled with venom, distrust, hate. All the things I always attested to Audrey despite the sweetness of her mother. It's only fitting that the kids in this country grow up distorted and selfish compared to their parents. It's their parents happily ever afters they're bathing in-their parents are the ones who had all the hard work to do. What do the Auradon kids have to do when already they've secured themselves a happily ever after?

"But it's finally nice to have another witch in the school, right Fay?" Audrey turned her attention to me once the four villain kids passed us by, breaking me out of my concentration on them to focus on her. "It must've been getting so lonely for you."

"How sweet of you to care," I returned her sickly sweet smile, imagining the worst spells I could lay on her, making whatever her family endured look like a heavenly blessing. Politeness classes be damned, that girl grinds my spinning wheels, fitting seeing as it's what almost brought her mother to her demise.

Not that I'd say that out loud. I did get a B+ in politeness, after all.

"You're no better than they are, Fay." Chad chimed in right behind her, shaking his head in disgust after having seen villains breathe the same air as him. Clearly, he also carried on the kind, caring character traits of his mother. "It's by the King's own kindness your mom was allowed to stay here."

"I'm nothing like them!" I said quickly, almost too quickly that other students glanced over at me. "My mom's not a villain. _I'm _not a villain.

"Explain to me, therefore, why your mother doesn't come to any Parent Day? Why the King doesn't recognize her contributions to the school? Why Ben hesitates around you?" Audrey countered still, Chad and others rallying silently behind her.

"How could you-" The bell rang, interrupting my defensiveness and turning their attention away from me, leaving me in the dust as they hurried off. Punctuality is also something important in Auradon and is another class I got a B+ on.

Kicking my locker, and wincing because the tips of my toes were sore from doing that often wearing hand-me-down sneakers, I headed away to my own class. My blood boiled like a frog baked in hot water thinking of a comparison like that-comparing my mother to that of a villain. Agathe was a lot of things to people; a sorceress, a healer, a bookworm, a herbalist, a misfit even, but a villain? Absolutely not. If it weren't for my mother, Auradon wouldn't be a thing. The kingdom wouldn't have prospered for years and years. Ben wouldn't be next in line for the throne, Audrey wouldn't have a plethora of friends following her to class and Chad wouldn't have an abundance of clean lockers, hallways, desks, and bathrooms for his leisure.

Their happily ever afters? _All thanks to my family. _I'm absolutely nothing like the villains, and to be seen as one was something I'd rather die than be seen as. Ben may have thought he was being fair to allow villain kids to attend this school, but he had no thought as to the repercussions it would have...primarily on me. The daughter of an already unpopular wit-**sorceress.**

She's not a witch. I'm nothing like them. Nothing.

**...**

Throughout the day, all anyone could even talk about were the VK kids (good Gods, we're really calling them that). No one loathes the new students more than Audrey, and while I enjoyed seeing her squirm uncomfortably I couldn't help but feel the comparisons between me and the villains. It was starting to make me dread them being here, a thought that gradually began to fill me with guilt. My whole life, people had treated me as lucky to be allowed to stay, and that my mother was the anti-hero Auradon wiped away from history. You never hear mention of the King before he earned his crown-only that a devious villain cursed him to a hideous monster.

Shouldn't it make sense, then, that I'd be more sympathetic to the cause here?

"You're being much too hard on yourself," Lillian assured me during a study hall, giving herself a quick glance-over while we were in the bathroom. Her blue bow, a prized heirloom from her mother back in London, held her messy brown hair in place despite it completely clashing with the rest of her outfit. She always seemed to have a disinterest in growing up where it came to fashion. Too many times have eyes in the hallway or in passing classrooms turned to her to gawk. I think that was one of the reasons I liked her-she didn't grow up too fast to realize she could be doing way better in terms of friends. It didn't matter what she thought about me.

But she still wasn't pleased by the VKs anymore than Audrey and the others were.

"But don't you think that, I don't know, it's only fair they get a shot?" I offered, taking a quick moment to assess the damage I saw in the mirror. I had dyed my hair red over the summer, to test a new spell I had found in my mother's notes, and it still carried over into the school year looking quite natural.

The clothes, crafted together by my mother who most certainly didn't take notes from Fairy Godmother, were a bit too big on me, but it was to my luck that Lonnie had brought baggy overalls back into style or I would've been sunk for sure. The copper skin tone, that my mother always described as "smooth as a newborn's bare bottom", was apparently a blessing from my father, but burned pictures with his face missing suggest it wasn't enough for my mother to keep his image around.

Nothing shiny or kept like the other Auradon kids. Whether that in itself was a blessing or curse stands to reason. But to be compared to villain kids...

"Why would you even think that?!" She gaped at me, looking at me through the mirror once I had stepped back to lean against the wall. "It's awful enough that the barrier was down at all when that damn limo arrived, but to suggest they _should-_"

Lillian was interrupted when the bathroom door opened, and we both tensed just a bit. It was the purple-haired villain girl. One of the kids in my chemistry class referred to her as 'Mal', and rumor has it she's Maleficent's daughter. It explained the green eyes I had seen before.

But to be the daughter of one of the most feared villains _had _to be rough.

She gave a glance to Lillian and me before going over to a stall and closing it, hiding any nervousness or hesitation with each stride. She glowed confidence like she just knew she deserved to be here.

"I-I'm going to be late for class." Lillian cleared her throat when her voice croaked, adjusting the wool sweater she wore and hurrying to the door. "Coming along, Fay?"

"Meet you there. Save me a seat." I smiled, ignoring her wide eyes of terror before I strode back over to the sink. I splashed water on my face in an attempt to calm myself down as a loud flush soon echoed and out stepped Mal. She made her way to the sink beside me, focused intently on making sure she had enough soap and blinking in surprise when it came out sparkly and pink.

It was so weird seeing a villain kid up close, I couldn't help but stare for a moment. Her hair, a dark purple, was perfectly curled up to her shoulders. Clothes a mix of a purple and green blend that reminded me of the slim my mother would use to help with my curls. Add in black boots, and it wasn't hard to tell she grew up somewhere far, far from this country. She carried herself in such a way, though. You couldn't help but notice her.

That couldn't always be in her favor, though. Being Maleficent's kid has dampened any other qualities about her, and has ruined the chances of anyone approaching her willingly. Could talking to a VK really be the worst thing a person could do..?

"Fairy Godmother insists it motivates kids to keep their hands clean," I explained, having seen her eyes roll at the display of sparkles and overall cleanliness in the bathroom. I always did think to add sparkles to everything was a little excessive, so for a new kid to see it everywhere? They had the right to be stunned by it. And appalled. And overwhelmed.

"You Auradon kids sure like everything squeaky clean, huh?" Mal snorted, and I was surprised when I let out one of my own.

"They're...they're not all too bad. You just met all the preps first." I felt bold enough to add a joke. "Rookie mistake."

Mal, wiping her hands on one of the towels, looked over at me with an eyebrow raised. But a smile on her face either assured or tricked me into thinking she found what I said funny. "I'll have to be careful then...Fay, was it?"

"Fay, yeah." I nodded, noting that she was waiting for me to add what the hell credited me to come to this school. "Daughter of Agathe the Enchantress."

"Huh. The one who put a spell over the King's castle?" Reluctantly, I shrugged but moved my hand up in a 'well, ya know' sort of fashion. She nodded in response, crossing her arms. "At least someone here seems to have a sense of humor."

Whether she was talking about me, or what my mother did all those years ago, I didn't know.

"Like I said, just haven't met the right people," I assured her again, losing all boldness when the bathroom door opened again and this time it was Jane, Fairy Godmother's daughter, and Melody, who paused all conversation when noticing us.

"Fay, what are you doing?" Melody addressed me in a flat tone of voice, frowning as she chose to completely ignore Mal. "Lillian was sitting in the library all alone. She said she's been waiting for you to join her."

I swallowed down the panic in my throat. "We were just-"

"I was leaving," Mal spoke up, flashing me another one of her smiles before looking at the two of them. "I asked her where my next class was. Fay helped me out. No need for the interrogation." Walking right in between them, she turned and leaned her back against the door until it opened, giving me a half salute before pushing herself off and away, the door closing firmly behind her.

"Are you alright?! You were dealing with her all by yourself!" Jane flocked around me, checking for burns, wounds, lumps, anything that would point blame on the new VK kids.

"I'm fine!" I put my hands up and stepped around Melody, who had been blocking me from behind as Jane looked me over. "She just wanted to know where Auradonian History I was. Simple as that."

They both seemed doubtful, but let it pass. "Just be careful, Fay. It's bad enough Audrey thinks you've got bad blood. To see you with a VK kid...?"

"I know, I know." I sighed, pushing open the door and allowing it to close before I had to endure any more lectures from them. To be seen as one of the VKs? Detestable.

...

Then why did I feel drawn to the idea of it, anyway?

* * *

_**Alright kids! Thoughts? Suggestions?**_

_**See ya around **_

_**-Ginger**_


	2. Chapter 2

_(Big Youtuber apology video sigh)_

_I'm really sorry, guys. Literally the DAY after I posted the first chapter, shit hit the fan with my home life. And to add fuel to the fire, I was working all summer long and they are draining me as much as possible and I've got school to take care of..oh, and I literally hit a wall with this after Descendants 3. NOT that it was bad, it just made me reconsider things I was gonna do for this story. _

_We'll see. Anyway, thanks for bearing with me. Your follows and favs mean a lot. I'll try to do better!_

* * *

The first couple of days after the kids arrived were one big blur of drama, gossip, hard and cold stares with a side order of judgment. No one wanted to make an effort to reach out to them aside from Ben and, on rare occasions, Lonnie. Every other time, it was like a death sentence for anyone to actively seek them out in a crowd.

As for me? I tried to avoid them, I won't deny blame there.

I couldn't shake away the embarrassment of being compared to them, so much so that it made me shut down even more in class. It went unnoticed by most of my peers, luckily, but it all came crashing down during Herbs II, when I realized the girl from before, Mal, as well as the taller boy villain I heard people called Jay, were both in the class. And the teacher paired people together. And paired me with Mal. The villain kid everyone feared the most. The villain kid Audrey loathes more than she loathes any other person, place, or thing in the entire world.

Mal, the daughter of Maleficent, and me, daughter of Agathe the Enchantress.

Hi, universe. It's Fay, again. When are you going to show some fucking mercy towards me?

All eyes widened when the teacher, the blue fairy Merryweather, insisted on a new partnership. It was obvious she was trying to create new friendships for these kids, since the students themselves sure as hell weren't putting themselves out there, but of all the students she could have picked? Me? It was bad enough people were whispering about me and Mal talking briefly in the bathroom. "Sooner or later, this school will catch on fire because of those two," were the _nice _comments people would say. And now to be paired with her, and for a project monumental to a class I'm actually doing above well on? It didn't sound promising.

"Hey again," Mal said as soon as the teacher waved for groups to get together and discuss. "Is this class as dull for you as it is for me?"

Cautious glances were thrown my way by groups closes to us, but I still gave Mal a dry smile. "It _is_ second nature when you've been in front of a spellbook all your life,"

She shook her head, glancing around the room at the other groups before focusing back on me. "So...what exactly is the assignment then? She wants us to create some...potion?"

"A reverse potion," I answered her, pulling my reading glasses (big, round ugly things that are another hand-me-down from dear old Missing Dad) to take a look at the textbook. "The curriculum wants students to be aware of ingredients they can use to reverse certain spells."

Snorting, she leaned in close to me to read the text I was, but her expression was a mixture of confusion and boredom. "A whole semester of something people can do in a snap?"

I pushed my glasses up and waved a hand around the room, watching students taking notes and trying really hard to put together some sort of plan. The struggle was palpable on their faces, as Merryweather is notorious for being a hardheaded and fast-paced teacher, but it made my point known as Mal shrugged in a 'fair enough' sort of way. "Not a lot of these kids have magic backgrounds. A lot of people have bad histories with spells gone wrong, so they think by training students the basics of herbalism, it'll cure their problems."

"Look, all I'm saying is us? The two of us? Do we need some textbook a grey-bearded nobody spent too long on?" Mal waited for the teacher to float past us, giving us a firm nod to continue working, before nodding down below the lab table. I felt a twinge of nervousness when I saw a golden dragon emblem right spack dab in the middle of a used, leather book. Not just any book. A _spellbook. Which ARE NOT_ allowed on school grounds, so to know a VK is hoarding one against school rules, and now I was her lab partner?

Universe: 2, Fay: 0.

Mal had a subtle smile on her face, knowing her secret was a good one. But she must've picked up on how tense I became when she quickly hid it away in her bag again. "Don't tell me you don't have anything like that."

"It's...against school rules. Magic-"

"-is banned in Auradon, I know." Mal sighed, leaning her head into her hand as she looked at the book. "But...is that fair? Why hold back your talents? That's literally the opposite of what these heroes around here are trying to teach kids,"

"It's not that simple, Mal. A small spell can turn everything wrong." I answered, not making eye contact by turning to flip around aimlessly in the textbook. It scared me, but I agreed with her. I absolutely agreed with her. The 'no-magic' rule was always deemed bullshit in my family back home, but I don't draw attention to it. I need to stay under the radar, and every part of me wanted to explain that. But I didn't. And I felt Mal's eyes studying me like she was meeting someone different from the girl she talked to in the bathroom on the very first day of school. "I don't want us to get into any trouble," I finished, though I really meant, '_I don't want you getting me into trouble and officially having me labeled a villain kid and have my entire family sent to the Isle of the Lost to perish and be forgotten.'_

I expected a scoff, an eye roll, for her to kick her stylish black boots up on the lab table, kick down the textbook, and tell me to go fuck myself. Instead, she simply nodded in reply. "Okay." She said, her tone indicating that she was still thrown off by it, by the rules set in motion of the school, of the kingdom, but this wasn't the place to talk deeply about any sort of thing. I couldn't agree with her in front of other people.

And I think she caught onto that. I hoped she did.

"Okay," I repeated back, bringing my notebook onto my lap and giving her a small smile. "This will be easy, though. You're already farther ahead than half the school, so this project could be done in an entire day."

Her smile was a lot flatter the second time around. "All I have to do is think of the spells my mother used to go on and on about, and then the opposite of them," It was obvious that not using her spellbook in class bothered her, so I supposed she must've used it on homework already. It was funny though, I had expected a whole reaction from her. She didn't try to set anything on fire and didn't insult me, the rules, or the school to draw attention to ourselves. We both managed to plot together with the right ingredients we'd need for the project to work up until the bell rang, sending groups up and out the door in a hurry. Mal gathered up her backpack and stood up, looking over at me as I was taking my time to get going. Jay soon joined her, the two talking among themselves before Mal turned to me again.

"Jay, have you met Fay?" She introduced, smirking as she must've immediately realized how our names rhymed.

Jay rolled his eyes but gave me a nod in greeting. "Seen you around a couple of times, and Mal said you're the Enchantress's daughter?"

_Am I a topic among the VK kids?! _"Yeah, that's her. You're..."

"Jafar's son."

"Oh!" I answered, inwardly kicking myself for sounding just like a snobby upper-class mom when their younger child brings over a friend from a lower-class family or some kid she had seen eat a bug after putting it up to their nose. I knew that's how I came across, and it was further confirmed when both Mal and Jay shared a look with one another. "Well, I hope you guys are starting to adjust around here. The first week is always long, but..." I couldn't finish with some resolution. I would feel like a hypocrite. I had no idea if things would get better for them.

"We're getting there," Jay shrugged, giving me a final nod before heading out the door with Mal beginning to follow behind him. She turned back to me when she arrived at the door, leaning against it.

"Wanna get together at study hall and finish this bad boy up? I'll bring the first half of the ingredients and you bring the rest,"

The classroom was empty, aside from Merryweather humming to herself and tidying up the paperwork on her desk, so I felt a bit bolder. "Y-Yeah! I've got study hall for the rest of the day, so I'll be free."

"You won't mind if a bring Evie with me, will you?" Mal asked, and it took me too long to realize it was the blue-haired girl villain kid. Snow White's son Joshua said she was the daughter of the Evil Queen and had the vanity to prove it.

Still, I didn't want to be rude. "Bring whoever. We'll just meet in the library,"

"Alright, Sparkles." Mal was about to leave but let out a chuckle at my facial expression, which I knew must've been a sight to see because _that threw me off. _"I don't know, something I'm testing. I'm gonna accidentally call you 'Jay' at some point," _Being called a villain kid's name even on accident didn't sound appealing in the slightest, _"and we met when we were talking about how sparkly the bathrooms were so...Sparkles."

"Sparkles...alright." I smiled nervously, thrown off at the sudden drop I felt in my chest. Mal nodded, finally walking out of the classroom and leaving me alone with my thoughts and the soft humming of Merryweather, who waited till Mal left before looking up at me. "You be careful with that one, dear,"

I felt bolder, as if Sparkles were some trigger word and I had gained newfound strength and determination. "Why pair me with her if you think she's dangerous?"

She rolled her eyes, closing the textbook on her desk before giving me a look. "Fairy Godmother insists all teachers try to pair up these children with the normal ones, as a way to not just lump them all together all the time,"

"Well, shouldn't that be the goal? Shouldn't you be happy about that?"

"I think we should've left them alone. They're on that island for a reason, so leave them there." She grumbled, and soon Professors Flora and Fauna fluttered into the room whispering worriedly, no doubt checking to make sure Jay and Mal hadn't hurt Merryweather in that forty-five-minute classtime.

The longer these VKs stayed in this school, the more the true colors of people all around me came into view. I knew kids could be cruel, sure, but the adults were supposed to set the example for us, and so far I'm only rooting for the one lady my mother always compares herself too.

**...**

"How can you stand it?" Evie let out a long sigh, dripping with longing and wonderment as Chad and the other preps continued to gather and work at a table just across from our at the library. "How can you even focus with someone like that being in your view?"

I couldn't help but snort, glancing up from my seat at Mal as she rolled her eyes. "You kinda get used to it. Chad's pretty to look at from a distance, but has some flaws up close."

Evie waved the comment off, giving me a doubtful look. "Someone that gorgeous can't be too awful. Plus being Cinderella's son must have given him something of a charm,"

"E, whose homework is that?" Mal suddenly asked, making the blue-haired girl look back at us as Mal quickly swiped it from her reach. One quick read over was enough for Mal to narrow her eyes at her. "Unless you've taken on a new level of stalking or you've lied to me our entire friendship, the name 'Chad Charming' should not be on the top line of this homework,"

I looked up from my homework now too, surprised. "Wait, are you actually...doing his homework?!"

Evie snatched it out of Mal's hands, who was too disgusted to really resist. "It's just one little assignment before I help him work on his chemistry project. One little thing and then he'll swoon over me,"

I didn't know whether or not I should tell her that Chad's cheated on every single princess he's ever dated in the school, barely going two weeks in a fully committed relationship. The one girl he could never touch (besides yours truly)? Audrey. And as she's already 'Ben's girl', she was untouchable. And now he was no doubt using a VK as his sloppy second.

I tried for a more delicate approach. "Evie, I've known Chad since we were little kids. Don't let those golden locks on his head fool you, he's got ice for a heart and compassion as dark as the Underworld. He's not worth your time or efforts...or smarts, apparently. You," I had gotten a glance at some of the homework she had done so far, "you got these right. They are _all_ right. It's flawless,"

"He sounds like a challenge," Evie gave me a wink, "I appreciate your warning and your compliment, but two can play his game. Vanity _is_ my middle name,"

"Stop distracting my lab partner with your bullshit," Mal teased, causing me to smile as I regained focus on the ingredients we had gathered up. Evie, though, soon finished Chad's homework and before I could warn her again, hurried over to Chad's table and handed it over to him. The prince glanced over it once, gave Evie his fake, venom-filled grin before handing over another assignment for her to do. But not before reaching for her gloved hand and pressing a quick kiss on the top of it.

Mal and I both let out a groan, giving each other quick looks as Evie proudly returned.

"You see? Got him wrapped around my pretty little finger," she bragged, flipping her hair over her shoulder and striking a dramatic pose. "I could teach you both a thing or two,"

"I guess talking quietly in the library wasn't something taught at the Isle?" one student at the table beside ours hissed over, giving us dirty looks. The red hair gave away her being Ariel's daughter, but the lady's got seven identical daughters so it was hard to tell which one it was. Pacific? Atlantic? Bermuda? Melody? Hell if I knew.

What mattered was it got the rest of the library to look over at us, whispering amongst themselves. "We weren't...even that loud?" Mal shrugged in response, an amused expression on her face.

"We can practically hear your entire conversation. Fay, couldn't you show them the ropes since you're practically one of them?"

An ashamed blush warmed up my cheeks at that, making both Mal and Evie turn away obviously hurt. I should stand up for them! But..but...

_I knew exactly how._

"Mal, what I'm about to do, I'll take full blame for."

Mal had been busy writing an equation before acknowledging what I had said. "You'll take the blame for it, okay. But what...what do you-"

I was a bundle of nerves, so much so that I didn't even let her finish speaking. I held up a hand for her to pause, as some students looked over at us once again. Waiting for everyone to focus back on their work, and go back to hushed whispers as they continued to work, I stacked up the textbook so that my hands would be blocked. The two VKs sitting with me glanced up to give me puzzled looks, but I said nothing. They would understand in a moment. Oh, I knew it was wrong. I knew it was! But how could I resist just one little time? It had been so long.

_"Classical books, float and hover, _

_Make these preps run for cover,"_

Mal's eyes widened immediately, pulling Evie to duck under the table as soon the spell began and books flew off the shelf to attack the other students in the library. The first victim was Ariel's daughter, who let out a displeased screech when a thick copy of _The Princess and The Pea _knocked her out of her seat. A few other historical books then came for Chad and his crew, knocking them off their seats until the air was full of books beginning to dive-bomb and search for targets.

I waited a few seconds to survey the damage before ducking under the table to join Mal and Evie. "I-I'm so sorry! It's been a really, really long time since I've done a spell, so it must've built up..." But my apologies fell on deaf ears, mostly because the library was full of students screaming or tripping over themselves to escape and Evie and Mal were too busy trying not to laugh.

I bit down on my own lip to keep from laughing, pointing at the main doors leading to the hallway. "C-Come on! Before the books begin to fly under desks," I instructed, Mal leading the way as we made a sprint for the doors and grabbing our bags along the way. We burst through the doors easily, creating a loud 'thud' that startled students just leaving their classes, but we couldn't stop running.

An entire flood of books began to take off after us.

Left and right, students tried to use their lockers at shields or dive back into classrooms to keep from getting hit, but the three of us couldn't stop for a moment. Occasionally ducking and jumping as books landed all around us, Mal glanced back at me.

"Can't you undo it?!" She demanded, flipping flawlessly over a student who stumbled in front of us and almost collided into her.

Her dismount was effortless like she wasn't even trying as she dodged and weaved her away around students or books that would land around her. Her hair bounced perfectly as she ran, still looking soft and-

"Fay, Fay, FAY!" Evie yelled, just in time for me to spin around an open locker a student abandoned to escape the mess I made, almost tripping over my own feet.

"Working on it!" Of course, the one time I use a spell, it goes absolutely wrong.

They were going to get the blame for this somehow, I knew that much. My attempts at a practical joke, a way of getting back at the bullies and to show they weren't alone, have now caused a priceless library to become disheveled and my new friends and I to run for our lives covered in paper cuts and sweat. They were going to get the blame for this, no matter what anyone else would say. But I couldn't let that happen.

"You and Evie head for your dorms! I'll think of a spell to get rid of this!"

"Not alone, you won't!" Mal answered, turning to look at Evie. "Create a distraction for us! Make sure none of the teachers or the Queen herself can come to check on the library! We'll meet back up in our dorm, okay?"

"You're in good hands, Fay!" Evie gave me a thumbs up before making a quick turn and ducking down in the doorway to one of the classrooms as we continued to run, the books flying fast and furiously towards us.

Mal whipped out her spellbook, quickly flipping through the pages until she found the perfect one and skidded to a halt. I stopped soon after, looking down the hall as the books got closer and closer, having mixed together to become an entire hurricane of literature. A literal flood of knowledge, if you will.

"Repeat after me, Sparkles!" Mal ordered, closing her eyes for a moment to prepare herself for the spell. Suddenly, she opened them and they were glowing emerald green, almost hypnotically so. It was enough to distract me for only a moment until she grabbed my hand and began,

_"Books of knowledge, flying fast and free, _

_Lifeless and limp, I will make thee!"_

Only a few books fell hard onto the ground, many more still continuing their one-way path towards us. Taking a deep breath, I repeated the words Mal used as we said in unison,

**_"Books of knowledge, flying fast and free_**

**_Lifeless and limp, I will make thee!"_**

Our voices echoed throughout the hallway, and suddenly the books landed with a thunderous 'BOOM!" right in front of us, leaving us only inches away from being absolutely slammed.

We said nothing for a moment, the only sound being a few pieces of paper still floating in the wind. I was still breathless, as the school's hallways are notoriously large and long and slippery, but thankful that the madness stopped. The madness I caused, of course, but still, it had been stopped.

Mal, still catching her breath as well, closed her spellbook and shoved it back into her bag, making sure to hide it so it wouldn't be seen. I wanted to say something, anything, to make it known how sorry I was for doing that to her, and I've only known her less than a week. Thank her for helping me, even when they know they can easily share in the blame. Ask her to teach me a spell. Ask her for information on what hair products she used.

Say anything.

But instead:

"You're telling me that spellbook had a chant for this exact situation?"

With eyebrows raised, she countered back, "Why do you know a spell to set library books all chaotic? What purpose does that serve?"

"Touche," I answer, realizing I was still holding onto her hand and quickly pulled away. "Do you think Evie-"

"She'll do her part of the job, now we just need to get out of here,"

"But not without cleaning all this up," I waved towards the door. "You get to your dorm, okay? I'll clean up. This was my fault,"

Mal, surprisingly, hesitated. "You'll get in trouble if you stick around. Evie may distract them, but we had a lot of witnesses here."

"I'll deal with it," I answered her firmly, though deep down I knew this wasn't going to be an easy thing to sweep away.

Still, the VK looked me up and down before nodding her head in approval. "Sparkles, you just might be alright," she smiled at me, taking one look down the hallway before turning and running out the door.

I watched her go for a few moments before turning to look at the aftermath of my spell, and how much power I felt just surge in me when I combined with Mal's own. It scared me how good it felt, how for one moment I was invincible even compared to Fairy Godmother. Is this what my mother meant when she said magic could almost be an addiction? Is this how Fairy Godmother felt helping Cinderella transform in a single moment?

Is this how Maleficent felt every single fucking moment of her life?

"Not bad," I sighed, motioning my hands to lift up the books from the hallway to begin cleaning. "Not bad at all."

* * *

_**Why yes, Fay isn't straight. Thank you for noticing! **_


	3. Chapter 3

**_*ANOTHER Big Youtuber sigh*_**

**_College is kicking my ass, guys. I promise I am going to continue this story and your reviews mean a lot. But I'm at community college, and since it's my second year I'm working on transfer scholarships and applications (aka my personal hell I thought I escaped after high school). _**

**_We'll just see what happens. I am still sorry though. Thanks for sticking with me, kiddos. _**

* * *

Well, Universe, you had ultimately won that round.

I managed to clean up the library, books placed nicely back onto their shelves with missing pages glued neatly into place, but I couldn't think to cast an invisibility spell to escape before I had been brought up to Fairy Godmother's office for punishment. That, in itself, is equivalent to being scolded by your grandmother after being caught stealing from a cookie jar. At least, that was how I always imagined it. My grandmother was burned at the stake for witchcraft before I was even born, and even then my mother said she used to have jars of spiders and needles because she knew my mother would try to steal snacks.

But I digress.

Upon entering the office, I expected the absolute worst punishments: eternal banishment from Auradon to the Isle of the Lost, being sent home and then my entire family becomes banished, being banished with only my mother as a company, my mother being blamed-

"After-school cleanup duty for the remainder of the year." Fairy Godmother decreed, nodding her head as she was satisfied with that 'punishment'.

I, however, was absolutely floored. "Cleanup...duty?" Magic was absolutely banished at the school, something that was pounded into our heads since the first day we're born, so to hear that I've gotten away with this? "I-If I may ask, why am I getting a break?"

"Fay, you've been a dear blessing at our school for six years! One incident in those six years, which you took full responsibility for and worked to clean up all on your own? That speaks volumes about your big heart."

_It was my big heart that decided to curse an entire, multi-million dollar school library just to impress some girl. And her friend. Both of whom were villain kids. _

"I won't be expelled, ma'am?"

"Stars above, no! Magic is indeed a big no-no on campus, Fay, but you're a good student. One little incident won't ruin a lifetime of good, don't we agree?" She replied cheerfully, and I knew she fully expected me to agree so I could only silently nod in response. To be honest, I was still shaken by the whole thing.

_How can I be getting away with this?_

_What would've happened if I had cast some invisibility spell and gotten away? Would this be the conversation we'd be having?_

_If I had left Mal and Evie to take the blame, or if Mal had stayed with me, would the punishment remain the same? Am I getting off easy?_

"Fay...Fay?" Fairy Godmother interrupted my trail of guilty thoughts, making me blink in surprise before I faked a smile at her.

"I-I thank you for your kindness, Fairy Godmother. I promise an incident like this will never happen again," It felt like a rehearsal, like I had memorized those lines for so long because I almost convinced myself it really wouldn't happen again when I knew it would. I still felt the power tingling in my fingertips, moving all around me as if to say, "_There's so much more to it. You haven't let yourself experience this great gift you have, and now that you've scratched the surface you will never truly lose the urge to keep digging deeper,_"

I couldn't explain that, though. Not to Fairy Godmother, of all people. Maybe giving a call to my mother would be a good idea, after all. She was going to get a note home from the school explaining the incident, anyway. It wouldn't be bad to call ahead and clear the air.

After Fairy Godmother explained a bit more of my punishment, and what classrooms I would need to clean effective tomorrow once my own classes were done, I was excused. And it wasn't three seconds that I was out the door and walking down the hall that I was suddenly pulled into a dark classroom, the door slammed shut behind me.

I spun around, ready to either scream, fight, or break my promise to Fairy Godmother before the figure in the shadows growled, "Are you Fay?"

I swallowed down my fears, that tingling in my fingertips suddenly moving around faster as if it were like boiling water. "Who wants to know?"

"Are you the friend of a purple girl called Mal and a blue wannabe queen named Evie?"

"...yes? I guess?"

"Oh, cool! Then you're the right girl," the figure moved to turn the light on in the room, blinding me only for a moment before I noticed a short, white and black-haired boy grinning impishly at me. He crossed his arms, as if pleased he got the chance to spook me, before continuing, "You wouldn't believe how many people I've accidentally dragged into this classroom. It was hard to stay in the shadows,"

"Right, right..." I chuckled nervously, completely startled by that revelation. Other girls? Who was-

A VK. He was one of the ones who arrived. But his name...

He beat me to it before I could even phrase the question. "Carlos." He stuck out his hand towards me, almost shoving it in my face. Like he had just learned to shake hands when greeting people this week, which he very well may have. "Carlos DeVille."

I backed up a little bit, mostly to get his hand out of my face, before clasping my hand with his. "Fay, daughter of Agathe the Enchantress,"

"No last name?"

"It's uh..." _Holy shit, did I even have one? Did anyone really have one in this place? _"Complicated."

"Daddy issues too, huh?" Carlos crossed his arms again, going back to trying to seem intimidating in front of me. It, admittedly, worked better when he was in the shadows. I had never seen a kid with so many freckles, and Merida's kids went to this school!

I addressed his question, beginning to feel the lows from whatever magic tingles I had felt just moments ago. "That's a more upfront way of putting it, but I suppose so. Is there a reason you pulled me into here?"

"I was sent to deliver you a message, madame." Carlos pulled out a folded piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to me, quickly moving back into his cool position against the wall. "Important business. Very much a 'hush-hush' operation."

I liked this guy.

"Thank you for your service. You can report back to Mal that you did very well." I nodded firmly to him, watching him shrug indignantly and push himself off the wall (and almost slip over a shoelace that had come undone).

"If it were Mal who sent it, which is isn't, I would absolutely tell her that you got the message and that this was a success. But I won't. Because," he moved his fingers across his lips, pretending to zip them shut. "It's all top secret."

"Auradon thanks you for going infinity and beyond the call of duty," I gave him a half-hearted salute as he opened the door and looked all around the hallway. When the coast was clear, he did a summersault into the middle and made a sprint for the exit...not before immediately coming back and running in the opposite direction. I couldn't blame him-I had been at the school for six years, and it still felt like the halls would switch up and rearrange themselves.

I then remembered the note in my hands, moving my thumbs around to feel the rough parchment and quickly moving to unfold it. I was greeted with a dragon border running along the edges before settling on the rather pleasing green-inked cursive on the paper. Who knew Mal had good handwriting? It didn't seem like the Isle would be the place to practice perfect penmanship. Getting over the style of the letter, I began to read it over.

_Fay, _

_I thought it would be smart not to see you right after you stayed behind. Don't want you roped in with us VKs, after all. Thanks. I mean that. It's been...maybe forever since people tried to cover for us. _

_As a token of my gratitude, and to amend for actually saying 'as a token of my gratitude', I found a less dangerous spell that can help with whatever punishment you got. It freezes time for as long as you want, so if you need a break to scream at teachers or take a power nap, you can. Nobody will be the wiser. _

_'Time moving from night to day,_

_Stop for a moment and freeze away'_

_To reverse:_

_'Frozen world, standing still_

_To move again, this is my will'_

_So simple, a tree could do it. I'll see you at Herbs II, yeah?_

_-M_

It seemed harmless enough, and if I were going to be punished for the foreseeable rest of the semester, possibly the rest of my life once my mother catches wind of everything, would a quick spell really do me any harm?

I cleared my throat a bit, preparing to test it out when suddenly my phone started vibrating in my pocket, and immediately I filled with dread. There's only one person who would even think to call me, especially when any friends I had already go to school with me.

Fairy Godmother must have sent the message home while we were in her meeting.

Bracing myself for the absolute worst, I pulled my phone out and answered, already beginning to wince. "_Heeeey, mother! _Been a while-"

"Enchanting Belle's library?" I was immediately interrupted, and I felt the true guilt of what I had done weigh in on me. Fairy Godmother was a soft sort of blow for the punishment I'd get-my mother was the storm that followed immediately after. It's like when you know you bombed a test, and the teacher tells you that your parent needs to sign the test and though the teacher keeps assuring you that one bad test won't ruin your life, you already know your life is over once you go home and show your mom the test.

Again.

I digress.

"You _didn't _enchant Belle's donated library to your preparatory school." she sounded exasperated more than angry, but I knew that they both came hand-in-hand with my mother. "Please tell me you _didn't_. Not something from _that _family."

_Oh God, that didn't even register within me. What was everyone going to think when they heard what I did?_

"M-Mom, I'm so sorry! I was just..." What was a valid excuse? I couldn't say it was to impress a VK girl. I couldn't say it was because I got into a fight. "I just...wanted to test out a spell."

"On _Belle's. Enchanted. LibRARY!" _The familiar yelling now came out in full force, and it took me back to many nights of getting caught doing spells to the next-door neighbor and trying to enchant a broomstick to do the morning chores. It sent a chill down my spine.

"I didn't even think about it, I'm so sorry! It wasn't a vicious attack on the royal family! It was something to get back at someone for being mean! I-I just wanted to test a spell out! It's been so long and your books in the attic-"

Another disapproving sigh came from her end. "I knew showing you that spellbook would come back to haunt me. I know what we're not gonna let you do next summer."

I facepalmed, dragging my hand slowly down my cheek and making sure she could at least hear the 'slap' sound that came with it to really capture the dramatic nature of it. "Mom, it's not that. I just...I felt..I felt something."

"Felt the need to curse the library of the family I placed a spell on years ago? What kind of backward, impulsive critical thinking skills are they teaching you at that school?"

"Not like that," I replied, keeping the dramatics in my voice again because how can she be this way when I'm trying to open up about something that worried me. "That...what do you usually call it? Th-the tinglies?"

Silence for a moment. "The thing I used to call it when you were little and needed to pee?"

"I almost wish you'd go back to yelling at me and lecturing me instead of this whole thing," I felt Mal's note almost pulse in my free hand as if tempting me to test it out while my mother talked to me over the phone. "Grammy Winifred used to say she felt it every time a man looked at her in the village and she'd curse his crops or when the king tried to slaughter half of the kingdom he thought had the plague."

"Grammy Winifred was also tried as a witch and almost burned at the stake for those spells. And, you know, the fact she tried to eat kids and the only reason I was around was to keep her and your aunts from getting found out."

I pulled up a chair in the empty room and sighed. "I can't help but feel you're missing the point. I felt something surge in me, and it made me destroy an entire library in a matter of seconds, Mom. I've never felt that before," the note in my hand now felt like it was vibrating, power surging from the words onto the page into my bloodstream and boiling like water throughout my body.

"Well..." she wanted to remain angry, I could tell, but still must've understood what I meant. And I was one to rarely act out at school, anyway. "If it's what I think you're referring to, then...those feelings spark out in intense anger. Or sometimes other feelings too, like happiness, attraction, envy, love, sorrow..but who could've made you that mad in a library?"

"Someone made a comment about me. Spare me the lecture about letting people's words go, please."

A sudden knock on the door made me jump up out of my seat, and I was stunned to find that it was actually Ben lingering there. He gave me a shy wave, a nervous smile, and I'm sure I looked like a wreck when I tried to return one of my own.

"Mom, I have to go. Can we talk later about everything? Can you think on..you know.."

"If you're using your Grammy as a comparison to how you've been feeling, then I'm already worried. I'll look around for some soothing spells you can use during those moments." I could already hear her reaching for a book at the house. "You need to keep your head down, Fay."

"Right."

"I love you, kid. Please...please behave. For us."

_So we don't get banished. _

"Bye." I almost dropped my phone from how badly my hands shook, and I smiled once again at the king's son who moved closer. "Ben! I uh, didn't see you come in! Sorry! Is there some sort of meeting in here?"

"Carlos said you were in here when I asked for you."

"Ah, right. That VK boy." I played dumb, and it seemed to work as Ben chuckled half-heartedly in reply. "N-Not that it labels him as a bad person, right? He's just..that's..." I gave up. "Ben, I'm so sorry about what happened with your mom's books. Please don't think I in any way hate you or your family and want to curse you."

"No!" Ben now hurried to interrupt, reaching to place a hand on my shoulder but the motion immediately made both of us feel awkward. Aside from accidentally bumping into each other in the hallway, we really didn't talk to each other much. So this was weird enough all on its own. For him to reach out and touch me as if I were some teammate he was consoling, it felt unnatural. He and I were on very different teams.

"I mean...I'm the one who should also be apologizing." Ben was quick to pull his hand away and compose himself. God, he was perfect. How much etiquette lessons had this kid endured? "I know when I brought the four villain kids on the island, people were quick to say you were included in the mix. And I didn't really think about how you might be feeling when roped in with any awful labels. It's bad enough they attack those four just for being who they are. So to come after you, who's been to school here for years? It didn't feel...right, you know?"

"Yeah," I hid the note in my pocket along with my phone, trying to control the vibrating that still lingered there. No evil impulses. I can't. I can't be acting out. Not now, not ever again. "But it's not your responsibility for it. You didn't say any of those things."

Ben shrugged. "It just didn't sit right with me, and hearing what you did at the library and how you are one of the few trying to be friends with Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos, it just kinda gave me a reality check."

_Awkward. Awkward. Awkward. Awkward. Awkward. Awkward. Awkward. _

"Oh!" _Awkward, awkward! _"You're really sweet for doing that and all, really, but I'm..I'm okay! I'm really okay, and I don't really catch wind of the shit people say about me, you know? It's like...insert sports analogy here!" I tried to add a joke, which he either politely took with a laugh or genuinely thought was funny. "I appreciate it, Ben. Really. Just know, despite the whole library thing? I have no grudge with you or anyone. That was a stupid joke."

"Thank you. All's forgiven." He stuck out his hand as if we had just struck some sort of deal, and I was quick to take it and shake it firmly, though I felt bad for how sweaty my hands felt. I returned his smile, and tried to pull my hand away, but Ben still held onto it tightly. "Um, Ben?"

He didn't say anything, just staring at me for a moment.

"..Ben?" I said again, noticing a faraway glance in his eyes. Was this a seizure? Or-

It then hit me that the hand I shook with his, the hand I felt vibrating with power the entire time, was the one I used to shake his. I didn't have a spell in mind at all, but what if..."Ben, say something."

"_You have bad blood." _Came his response, drastically different from the exact conversation we just had. _"To deny your heritage as your mother did is foolish, child. You lack the realization of the powers within you."_

His voice was his, but the words certainly weren't. And they certainly weren't mine, either.

"Ben?"

_"You had the power to call back someone from beyond the grave, child. Doesn't that fascinate you in the slightest?"_

"Ben, Ben, BEN?!" I repeated, using my other hand to push against him to try to release his grip. Would that end this spell? "Release him! Stop! I didn't agree to this! This isn't my spell! Enough!"

_"You have bad blood. You have bad blood. You have-"_

"Bring. Ben. _BACK!" _I yelled loudly, hearing it echo around the room as he suddenly let go of me and sent me falling backward. I sat up and watched as he held his head in his hands, as if nursing a headache, before blinking a few times and looking at me.

Immediately, he felt startled. "H-Holy shit, what happened? What did I do? Are you okay?" He tried to walk over to help me stand.

"Don't touch me!" I yelled harshly, hating how he wilted back in shame, but I couldn't let him touch me again. What the hell just happened? "I-I'm alright. I just...we both fainted, I think."

"..did we?"

"Please excuse me, Ben." I managed to get out before scrambling up to my feet. I didn't stop when he reached out for me again or tried to plead with me to stay, not satisfied until I ran out of the building altogether and out onto the grounds. Students were probably either eating dinner or hanging out in their dorms, so it was devoid of life, which is what I had needed.

I felt like I was about to puke. My hands now felt numb, that feeling when a part of your body falls asleep and it's the closest thing to feeling static on your tv then you'll ever be in your life, except the static wouldn't last long. It just wouldn't. The program would come back on, and I'd hurt someone for real. If just by touching someone, I could put them in a trance, what did that mean for everything else?

The only person I could talk to about this, and who would probably give me sound advice, is probably mulling over how long I should be grounded for. That leaves...

I pulled out the note from my pocket, glancing over the beautiful writing again before having decided the next step of my plan.

"Bubble, bubble, I'm in trouble."


	4. Chapter 4

***on my 4th Monster energy drink* Hey here's a thing! **

* * *

Mal took a long sip of the soda can I had brought to the empty classroom Ben and I had been in before, mulling over the explanation I had given her at a fast pace and seeming to take it better than I was. It was dead of night now, students either asleep or hammered from the night's latest parties and the school was empty. Front doors were locked, but Mal surprised me when she said she'd be inside the building already, anyway. "The gang I like to explore new places." She had insisted over the phone, though it did cause a little bit of suspicion from me but who was I to judge? I almost destroyed a library beyond recognition.

Fast forward a bit, and we had both decided on the classroom where my powers felt the strongest. She and I both settled into a few chairs still left in the room and she let me explain it over. It sounded so much crazier than I had anticipated, but if she thought I was a lunatic it didn't seem to show. Instead, she nodded whenever I had paused for her reaction and hummed in thought with each concern.

"A tingling through your body, kinda like you felt buzzed out of your mind?"

I could only shrug in response. "Something like that. It's like it took full control over me,"

"Well, magic does run in your family, after all. And repressing magic is like holding in a sneeze. Both aren't good for you." She crushed the can in her hands and launched it across the room, landing a perfect shot into the trash can.

"But weren't you-"

"Yeah, yeah, 'the Isle of the Lost had the whole magical barrier thing, so what the hell would you know', I get it. But between you and me, it's been the same sort of feeling for me, too."

That gave me cause for concern, but I tried not to let it show. I was opening up to her for once, and she was doing the same. It was common courtesy for me to at least hear her out. "Really?"

"Of course," she lifted her fingers in the air and immediately, a tiny green flicker of fire appeared. It gave a faint green glow around the room, not bright enough to act as the main source of light but just enough to illuminate features of her face. Her eyes danced with each motion of the flames, with a faint smile growing on her lips when she noticed I was watching the flames now too. And I couldn't help but smile too because damn her smile was infectious. All without taking smiling seminar classes at her school, she's already mastered a sort of charm it took even Audrey a hell of a long time to obtain. It didn't help that her hair, an elegantly royal purple, curly and running down her shoulders, complimented the emerald flames well.

"Magic's a part of your personality, almost. It's like...denying it is like denying yourself air or water or any essential thing. That's why I couldn't part ways with my spellbook. Even on the Isle, where it's useless, I just couldn't part with it. It has a history with my family. So to ignore that part of you, it's like it's always missing...you know? Maybe I'm just...what do you guys call it? Venting? Expressing your feelings?"

She was breathtaking. And I didn't even get to truly appreciate how her eyes soon matched the color of the fire before she came to her senses and snapped out of it. "But, without the right control, it's a dangerous feeling. I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that's what you felt all throughout today. With the library thing?"

"That's what I think," I was glad the room went back to being a little darker, save for our flashlights in the room. My cheeks were warm, so no doubt I'd be beaming like a tomato in the right lighting. "The library incident is the first I've ever really acted out on those instincts."

"And that's why it went downhill," Mal confirmed, grabbing another soda and taking a long sip. "Goddamn, these are good! On the isle, we were lucky if we didn't have Sebastian's relatives floating around in our water, let alone a nice cherry soda."

I let out something like a chuckle, but I was more than anxious to hear her thoughts. "W-Why'd it go downhill?"

"Because you don't use your magic a lot, as I said," Mal repeated herself, eyeing me up and down before adding, "And because you're not fit enough for magic."

Now it was _my _turn to give her a glare, not a fan of whatever _that _implied. "Pardon?"

"Magic is a physical activity," Mal said, a hint of a smile on her face at my misunderstanding. Moving up to her feet, she walked towards the middle of the room, a good distance away from where I was sitting, before pulling out her book of spells. "Kinda like those dicks out on the field, you have to keep practicing this sort of thing. If what you've told me is true, and you have some sort of pull towards more _intense magic, _then you're gonna feel exhausted every time it happens because you don't use it enough. And it's gonna be hard to resist each time you feel the pull to use it again."

"I can resist it! I've done it in the past..."

"...yeah, you sound certain of that." The flicker of the green flames returned in her one hand as she seemed to have found the spell she was looking for, glancing back up at me. "Your mom was the Enchantress. She cursed Beast's entire fucking castle, right?" I didn't respond. It was more of an affirmation than a question, anyway. "That's huge. Really, really huge. That sort of magic is passed down through the family, so it only makes sense you'd have that same ability."

I leaned back into my chair, surprisingly not comforted by any of this information. "What's with the spellbook?"

"I'm trying to prove a point in a way we won't get caught...here. This might do something," Mal motioned for me to come closer, and begrudgingly I obeyed and stood beside her to look at the book. So many notes were on the page regarding each spell, the pages covered in purple calligraphy that spelled out how the user could bring the kingdom to its knees with a flick of the wrist. It was no doubt Maleficent's book passed down to her daughter.

I was almost envious. My relationship with my mother may be less toxic, but my mother actively tried to avoid teaching me magic spells. To learn Maleficent's trade..

"Read this spell for me." Mal broke me out of my train of thought, as I got distracted silently reading along to the notes on the top of the page.

"..Huh?"

"Read the spell. I wanna see what I'm working with if I'm to teach you magic."

The thought was enough to startle me back away from her and against the wall. "You're not teaching me _anything! _I-I can't! I'm gonna hurt someone this time, I don't want to hurt you!"

We both froze when the hallway lights just outside the room flickered on, footsteps beginning to echo loud enough for us to hear. "Security!" Mal and I whispered at the same time before trying to find somewhere to hide, but not before Mal threw the spellbook at me and settled for the utility closet.

I almost let out a yelp of surprise but caught myself last minute by slapping a hand over my mouth and diving under one of the desks stacked up against the wall, pulling the chairs we had just been sitting in to try and conceal myself behind them. I could almost hear Mal facepalm at my decision for a hiding place, to which I replied with a grunt of concern or confusion or fright or one that said _'HEY I DON'T SNEAK AROUND OFTEN LEAVE ME ALONE' _or something.

I could see the security guard's shoes as he entered further into the room, and he turned on the classroom light and took notice of the cans of soda left around on the floor or by the trash can, thanks to yours truly who thought she could land a shot as easily as Mal had. It was moments like that which confirmed I lacked physical strength in magic _and _in sports, like the phenomenal student I am.

I snuck a quick glance down at the spellbook in my hands but immediately did a double-take. _A sleeping spell. __**A sleeping spell. **_Did Mal know this would happen? Is having psychic abilities a VK thing or a Maleficent thing?

Did it matter?

Even if I couldn't hear her through the closet, I knew Mal was urging me to hurry up and try something already. And I knew I owed it to her to get us out of the situation because I was the one who dragged her out there in the first place.

So I slowly sat up under the table, stopping when I felt my head gently hit against the top of it, and trying to keep my voice down, I began:

_'Darkness of night is now at hand_

_For you to sleep is my command'_

The tingling feeling overwhelmed my senses once more, an electric pulse extending from my fingertips all the way up my arms to my shoulders, my chest, my stomach, my heart, everywhere. It was such a simple spell, but it was enough for me to feel as though I was commanding a house to fall on someone. It was enough for me to feel excitement with a twinge of discomfort because I should not be putting this much effort into a minor sleeping spell.

It would have been a truly badass moment until I absolutely let out a startled yell when the security guard collapsed with a loud 'thud' onto the ground, and if it weren't for the fact the man snored like a scary monster, I would have thought I killed him.

Before I could even register that, Mal pushed open the closet door with a grin on her face.

"Oh my god, maybe you're a little more controlled than I thought!" She laughed, and when she noticed my startled expression continue to grow, she waved a hand dismissively. "Relax, Sparkles. He'll be up as soon as the first rays of sun hit. Says so right in the book."

It took one quick glance at the page to confirm it as true, and relieved, I finally climbed out from under the table and held the book out for her. "How did you-"

"I was gonna have you use it on me. The cure for the spell was on the next page, anyway. You would've figured it out eventually."

"How can you be so sure?"

Mal crossed her arms, glancing down at the security guard while seemingly still impressed. "You risked expulsion trying to help me out in the library. So, of course, you'd try to break the spell."

It was my turn to shrug and give a dismissive wave. "Anyone here would've."

"You're not like everyone else here. You're..." Mal looked back up at me this time, her expression unreadable but that might only be because the only focus I had was how pretty she looked in the moonlight and my heartbeat was ringing _loudly _in my ears. But, and maybe it was that moonlight I kept getting distracted by, there was a touch of softness in her eyes. "Kind. At least, the 'kind' they try to preach about around here."

She took the spellbook from my hands, but neither one of us made any sudden movements to leave the room even though we should have and just looked at one another, that sweet smile still on her face and I was sure I had one of my own. I should have run away from her, screamed at her that she was a terrible influence and I would never talk to her again for what she made me do. But she didn't make me do anything at all. Sure, she opened the spellbook for me, but she didn't force me to speak the words. That was me. That was my decision.

So I didn't want to. I wanted to thank her. I wanted to tell her how I always thought of myself more like her people, like those who weren't sure where they aligned themselves. I wasn't a bad guy, but to sacrifice all parts of myself to feel good felt wrong too. I knew better than anywhere where her head was, and where Evie, Carlos, and Jay were no doubt struggling. I was on their side. I was on hers.

I wanted to be with her, regardless of what that really meant.

But I was so horrible at words that I couldn't express it, so I forced myself to be the one to look away first to adjust my glasses. "You're kind too. At least more than you think..." Those words seemed to snap her out of the same trance I was in, as she put her spellbook away in her bag and swung her arms back and forth in an attempt to break w_hatever _feeling we created in the room.

"That's uh..._sweet, _Sparkles. You're wrong, but it's still sweet." Mal said, motioning towards the door. "Let's just get out of here, though." I began to follow her to the door before she put an arm out so I'd run into it and stop.

_"I can still teach you if you want." _She said softly, uncertain. No doubt she had thought I would be horrified by her and run, just as I knew I should have done. _"I can help you feel better about this, about the magic. You won't have to feel like you're repressing so much."_

With a boldness I still wasn't used to, I nodded. "_Please." _

Turning to face me fully, she stuck her gloved hand out in front of me. "It's a deal, Pupil Sparkles."

It was so hard to keep from blushing around this girl, but I still managed to grab hold of her hand and shake firmly. "Deal." But nothing could have prepared me for her to take a step closer, her face just inches from mine. Her eyes once again had that green glow to them, and I knew I should've been terrified and averted my glare but something about her enthusiasm kept me in place. _A part of me wanted to ask if I-_

_"Welcome to the VKs."_ She whispered, her tone dipping low and dangerous like I had passed an initiation. I could feel her warm breath on my face and I wondered for a split second if she was about to answer the question I couldn't bear to ask, but in a flash, she released my hand and hurried out of the room, escaping through the window we had propped open (and no doubt what the guard had seen that caused him to investigate, I later realized).

I released a shaky breath once she had disappeared, coming down from the highs of everything that just happened and looking down at my hand as a dawning horror soon crept up on me over what I had just done.

Was there turning back?

_If there was, did I even want to?_

* * *

_**Sorry again for being gone so long. Fay's been giving me hell to keep going, though, and since I'm gonna be home a lot I might as well. **_

_**I know it's hard, but we're here together, okay? **__**Take a deep breath, kids. We're gonna get through this, I promise. See you later**_

_**-Ginger**_


End file.
